Hi, my name is Anand Edward Sokhey, and I'm a Ph.D. candidate in American politics here at The Ohio State University. My research interests include voting behavior, public opinion, religion & politics, and political methodology.  

 

My dissertation examines the role that social influence plays in voting behavior, political participation, and opinion formation, with a special focus on how people employ their networks when acquiring and processing new information. Using a variety of original data sources (including two panel studies and a county-wide exit poll), I examine how individuals seek out socially-supplied information based on the interplay of motivation, resources, social location, and the demands of varying electoral contexts. In doing so, I investigate how interpersonal discussion networks handle the content of campaigns, vary over time in response to electoral developments, and function in lower-salience contests. My committee members are Dr. Paul Beck (chair), Dr. Jan Box-Steffensmeier, and Dr. Herb Weisberg. 

 

My dissertation has received support from the National Science Foundation (improvement grant #0819473), and my work has been published in The American Journal of Political Science, American Politics Research, PS: Political Science and Politics, and Social Science Quarterly. In the 2006-2007 academic year I served as a fellow in the Program in Statistics and Methodology (PRISM) under Dr. Box-Steffensmeier. Please be sure to visit PRISM for a variety of helpful methods links.